UConn football notebook: Boyle welcomes Phillips' return

Published 5:59 pm, Saturday, October 19, 2013

SHAK IS BACK: For the first time since injuring his hamstring in the final minutes against Maryland on Sept. 14, junior receiver Shakim Phillips got back on the field. Phillips caught three passes for 38 yards, including a 21-yarder.

"He gives us another weapon on offense that I'm very happy to have," quarterback Tim Boyle said. "He's a great, great target. He takes a lot of pressure off my back. Shakim does a great job for us."

Phillips missed two games -- against Michigan and Buffalo -- working on healing the hamstring and tried to go last week against South Florida but was limited to just six plays. Without a catch at halftime and with the Cincinnati secondary working hard against Geremy Davis, Boyle started looking Phillips' way in the second half and the result was three receptions.

"It was (good to have him back)," interim head coach T.J. Weist said. "I think he can be a good weapon for us. I don't think he was really full-speed today. He's still feeling out that hamstring, but I think him making it through the game and doing what he did, (he can) make a big difference for us over the rest of the season."

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FOXXY MOVES: After dropping a pair of potential touchdown passes in last week's loss to South Florida, Weist said he challenged junior receiver DeShon Foxx this week to step up his game.

But on the Huskies' opening possession of the game, Foxx dropped a pass near midfield.

After that, however, Foxx met the challenge head on.

He caught five passes for 61 yards, including a 22-yarder, and made the play of the game when he raced nearly the length of the field to strip away the football from Cincinnati cornerback Mike Tyson, who intercepted a Boyle pass at the Bearcats 5-yard line and nearly took it all the way back to the house. But Foxx raced downfield and knocked the ball out of Tyson's hands at the Huskies 8-yard line. The ball rolled out of the end zone for a touchback.

"That kind of effort ¦ for him coming off that game last week was just unbelievable," Weist said. "When they got that interception and he comes back and makes that play, it was good for him to come back and make that play because I've always had faith in him. I've told him that. I put pressure on him this week to make plays and he's still not young but he's inexperienced. And he's getting more experience every game. I think he made some big steps and got some redemption for last week."

INJURY UPDATE: Starting right guard Gus Cruz did not travel with the team to Cincinnati. According to a UConn spokesman, Cruz has been suffering from shortness of breath and the doctors are checking for potential cardiovascular symptoms. Tyler Samra, a sophomore, made his first career start in place of Cruz.

"Right now, he's got some medical issues that we're trying to work through," Weist said. "We've got some information on him late in the week where we thought he might be able to make the trip but he didn't. I don't want to talk about those issues right now. There are some things he's got to work out with our medical staff. Not anything life-threatening just some issues that we have to get through when I get back."